Editors' Rating
| Design |  |
8.5 |
| Image Quality |  |
7.5 |
| Features |  |
7.0 |
| Performance | |
8.0 |
Published: 04 Jan 2008
The InFocus IN10 is a very small projector: measuring 19.8cm wide by 15.5cm deep by 6.35cm high and weighing 1.09kg, it’s just about the most portable projector you can buy. Put it down on a desk and it seems to take up less space than the cables that come bundled with it.
The lens protrudes slightly from the front and is fitted with manual focus and zoom rings that allow projection distances ranging between 1.5m and 9.85m, making the projector useful in a wide range of locations.
A small adjustable plastic foot enables image height adjustment, with a vertical digital keystone correction available in the menu. Horizontal tilt adjustment is also possible by unscrewing one of two rubber feet at the rear until the device is level.
It’s hard to imagine such a diminutive device delivering a presentation large enough to fill a boardroom — until you turn it on, that is. With 1800 Lumens at its disposal, the IN10 is noticeably brighter than the LP70+ it replaces.
Of course, there are compromises to be made: there’s no economy mode, for example, so it’s always running at full tilt. It's also harder to manage air flow in a small case, and the IN10's necessarily small fan produces a fair amount of noise as it cools the internals. However, even when running flat-out, the lamp life is rated at up to 4,000 hours, which is double what you’ll get out of some larger models from InFocus.
The top of the unit houses seven control buttons: Power, Menu, Enter and four cursor controls. The buttons themselves seem exceedingly small even on a projector this small. They’re the same size as those on the remote control, and neither set is illuminated.
With a body this compact, there’s very little room for the usual selection of connectors. Instead, we see the use once again of InFocus’s favourite connector, the M1-DA, this time without the familiar VGA and DVI inputs we'd usually expect.
Usually, finding an M1-DA connector at the back of a projector is cause for frustration. Nothing else seems to use it, so you’ll need an adapter or a special — and usually expensive — cable before you can hook up any of your equipment.
A standard DVI-I port would have enabled the use of both standard 15-pin VGA cables and digital DVI cables via affordable and widely available adapters. However, the M1-DA port also incorporates USB functionality and the supplied cable provides both an analogue VGA and a USB connector. Don’t lose this, otherwise you’ll have trouble using the projector until you’ve ordered a replacement.
If you want to use a digital connection, you’ll have to fork out for an optional DVI to M1-D cable, as there isn’t one provided with the unit.
We found the IN10 was impressively bright for its size, although somewhat lacking in contrast. Colours also appeared somewhat muted by comparison to other DLP projectors we’ve tested.
The InFocus IN10 is certainly very impressive for an ultraportable, but if you want to carry a projector in the same case as your notebook ,take a look at the ultra-slimline IN12 or IN15 models which are a little heavier, but only 4.3cm thick.
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